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12/16/2003
Division of Wildlife

DISCOURAGING UNWELCOME RACCOONS FROM YOUR BACKYARD

Tips on coexisting with wildlife: dealing with raccoons in your
backyard

With their distinctive black “bandit” mask and ringed, bushy tail, raccoons
(Procyon lotor) are rarely mistaken for any other animal. However, since
they are most active at night, the only evidence they have visited your yard
may be damaged plants, scattered garbage, and occasional droppings. Although
raccoons prefer wooded areas near streams and marshes, they thrive in urban
areas where there is easy access to such food as garbage, gardens and bird
feeders. Like its larger cousin, the bear, the raccoon is an omnivore, and
its ability to find food in nearly any habitat has allowed it to expand its
territory and adapt easily to human presence.

While many people enjoy glimpsing the charming behavior of raccoons, they
sometimes move into locations that are too close for comfort. If you have
raccoons living where you don’t want them, the only real solution is to
correct the problem of attractants. Try to determine why the raccoons are in
your yard or attic. Are they finding food, water and shelter? Whatever is
attracting them must be removed or cleaned up. This means all residents in a
neighborhood will need to change their ways because the raccoons cannot
change their behavior – their instincts will direct them to look for food.

Raccoons often spend daylight hours hidden under decks, in hollow trees, and
even in attics or drainpipes, and spend nights searching for food. Raccoons
are opportunistic, and their diet can include fruits, nuts, grains, insects,
rodents, rabbits, birds, eggs, turtles, fish, carrion, garbage and crops
such as corn. They will eat dead animals if they find any; they'll sample
gardens, bird feeders and pet food bowls when available; and they'll raid
garbage cans that aren't secured.

Garbage cans and dumpsters can be a banquet for raccoons and other small
critters. If there is a shed or secure garage where trash can be stored
prior to pickup, this will reduce the attraction to raccoons and other
wildlife. Look for garbage cans with secure lids or use straps to attach the
lid to the can. Rinse cans with ammonia to remove food smells that appeal to
raccoons.

Decorative Koi ponds, with bright ornamental goldfish, are special favorites
of raccoons. Raccoons love wading in shallow ponds to catch Koi. If you
don’t want to remove your backyard pond, you must either make radical
changes to the pond design or prepare to continually buying more fish to
feed any raccoons and predatory birds who visit your yard. Ponds with steep
sides have fewer raccoon problems than ponds with a gentle slope. If the
sides of the pond are nearly vertical, raccoons would rather find another
meal than go for a swim. If the water is deep -- at least 3 feet -- add some
cinder blocks or large rocks at the bottom so fish have a place to hide from
predators.

Raccoons can create dens under decks, porches and cellar crawl spaces. With
their long, finger-like digits, they can pull away loose boards and pry into
small entrances. By using smells, noises and lighting, you may be able to
make your location less desirable and encourage a raccoon family to find a
new home. To be certain that raccoons are using a den site, you can sprinkle
flour at a suspected entrance at night. Check for tracks leading away from
the site, and place ammonia-soaked rags inside the entrance when the
raccoons are out. (Place the rags on an aluminum pie pan so the ammonia
doesn’t soak away into the ground.) If you have a portable radio, find an
obnoxious music station, turn it up loud, and leave the radio in side the
den. Bright lights, especially flashing lights, also discourage raccoons
from an area. (You may be able to find a flashing emergency flashlight where
camping equipment or auto supplies are sold.) If you have a bright light
that operates on motion sensor, point it to the raccoons’ area to annoy
them. Check for tracks to determine when the raccoon has ventured out at
night. Once you are certain the raccoon family is out, cover every possible
entrance with woven fencing, such as chicken wire, to prevent the return of
the raccoon. You can also stuff newspaper inside the hole to make it harder
to enter, and so you can tell by ripped paper if the persistent raccoon has
returned.

Raccoons can climb trees, downspouts, or vines near the house to get into an
attic. To prevent raccoons from entering houses, roofs and chimneys should
be well maintained. Check for holes, replace loose shingles, and securely
place a chimney cap over the chimney. Limiting the access to the roof by
trimming trees and shrubs may also be helpful.

Electric fences may help to keep raccoons out of gardens. The wires must be
spaced close together and close to the ground in order to be effective. (Do
not use electric fences in an area where they pose a danger to small
children or pets.)

Making your yard and home an unpleasant place for raccoons can seem like a
lot of work. Some people ask why animal control officers or the Division of
Wildlife won’t come remove an unwanted animal and take it to an appropriate
location.

“Moving problem wildlife doesn’t solve the problem,” said Sharlene Haeger,
District Wildlife Manager. “If a raccoon, or any other wildlife, has
established a home in your yard, it means that it has found the food,
shelter and water it needs to survive. If you move an animal, but leave the
attractants in place, new wildlife will find the attractants and move right
in. Unless you change the habitat to discourage animals you don’t want
present, they will keep moving back in the same places.”

While raccoons are not generally aggressive or vicious, they are defensive
and will fight back if they are cornered. Use caution if you find a raccoon
that appears sick or injured; do not let your pets approach any wildlife,
but particularly avoid an animal that is cornered and frightened. Raccoons
are susceptible to outbreaks of distemper and rabies and can transmit these
diseases to unvaccinated pets. It’s generally a good idea NOT to approach or
touch wildlife, but if you see a raccoon or other animal showing signs of
abnormal behavior such as attacking, being out in the open during daylight
hours; exhibiting “drunken” behavior; appearing disoriented; paralyzed or
acting “strange,” assume the animal may be ill and keep your pets away.
Canine distemper in raccoons starts slowly, first appearing as an upper
respiratory infection, with a runny nose and goopy eyes. Humans are not at
risk from distemper, as the disease cannot be passed on to people.

Raccoons breed in late winter or early spring; and the young are typically
born in April or May. Females produce one litter per year, with an average
of four cubs per litter. The cubs are born blind, helpless, but by three to
four months, the cubs begin to forage on their own.

“Young raccoons are very appealing. When people happen upon a baby raccoon,
they may want to pick it up and keep it as a pet,” Haeger said. “But, don’t!
Not only is it illegal to possess wildlife, but as it grows up near humans,
it will learn behavior that will make it difficult to release into the
wild.” Animals that are used to being hand-fed can become aggressive asking
for food, and aggressive animals that bite or scratch will have to be
destroyed.

“Having raccoons and even fox around can be beneficial,” Haeger said. “If
you keep the pet food put away, they will eat mice and other rodents, and
they are enjoyable to watch in a wild setting. Keeping your yard and house
free of attractants will go a long way to keeping the peace in your
neighborhood."